Falling
by FantazyFanatic217
Summary: Agent Maryland was left to claw her way back out of the grave she was tossed into after being captured. Was it just an accident or was she set up? Eventual Wash/OC
1. Chapter 1

Falling

Chapter 1

Name: Olivia "Maryland" Easton

Age: 23

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Black

Armor: Black with red detailing

A.I.: Awaiting implantation

Current rank: 6 out of 50

"_Team one in position." Agent Maryland said. "I guess the Insurrection didn't know about this when they build the base. We can see the entire place from here. No blind spots." She glanced through her scope surveying the area. They were assigned to hit up an Insurrection outpost near sidewinder for information. This was supposed to be a quick mission. Washington and York would head in and steal the information they needed and get out as fast as possible. Maryland and her partner Montana provided over watch from a ridge on the edge of the base in case things didn't run as smoothly._

"_Team two in position in the southwest corridor." She quickly moved her scope to that position. Two red masses lit up in her thermal scope. "I have you two in my sights, you're covered." She said. "That'd be pretty scary to hear if you weren't on our side." Wash smirked. She smiled beneath her helmet. "Smart man."_

"_Dammit Wash stop flirting, we still have a mission to finish." Montana growled. "And I could just as easily put a bullet through your ass too." "I don't know Monty; I've seen you shoot before." York shrugged. Maryland tried to stifle a giggle but failed. _

_Through her scope she watched the two move to the edge of the courtyard in the center of the base. She flipped on her night vision, enabling her to see them and the enemies around them much more clearly. "4 tangos in the court yard, 3 on patrol, 1 in the guard tower. I have a clear shot on most of them. You're call boys." "Let's see if we can get through this without killing anyone. We need a distraction of some kind." York said. _

"_Great." Montana groaned. "Hard way huh?" Maryland glanced over to her partner. "Think of it as a challenge. You get bonus points if you do it right." She stood up from her prone position, thinking for a second. Firing on anyone of them would only trigger an alarm. Wait a minute, an alarm. That's it!_

"_This base was built not that long ago right?" She asked. "Looks like it. When the Director ran a scan of the area, he said the base was built with more sophisticated tech." York answered her. "What did you have in mind Liv?" _

"_That means it should have gunfire alarms." Maryland turned her scope to the northwestern edge of the base, the complete opposite direction of the base's control room and fired one round. The bullet punched through the wall closest6 to them. Not a split second later did alarms blare. Soldiers darted in different directions, all headed to the source of the alarm. The courtyard was cleared in a matter of seconds. The path to the control room was cleared._

"_Not bad Liv, not bad. You guys watch your backs up there; they all headed in your direction." York said. Maryland ejected the shell from the chamber of her rifle. "Don't worry about us; you should have a straight shot to the control room. I'll keep you posted."_

_Sudden hard force of the back of her shoulders caused her to lose her footing on the ridge. "Fuck!" She fell forward, plummeting face first to the hard concrete below. A fall from the height they were at was bone shattering. "Shit! Maryland!" Montana yelled._

_Her body smacked the concrete with sickening THWACK. Her gun flew from her hands. Her head snapping back and hitting the concrete a second time after impact. Her helmet flew off and landed next her, the visor cracked and useless now. All the air blew out of her chest, vision hazy and cloudy. Hissing in pain, she rolled herself onto her stomache, bracing herself on her elbows. Warning flashed across her HUD, but she paid no mind to them_

_The radio chatter that buzzed through her helmet was frantic. "Liv? Olivia? What happened? Are you alright?" She heard Washington say with every ounce of panic in his voice. "She fell off the ridge! I think she's hurt! And there's enemies moving to her position. Christ she's not moving…." Montana sputtered. "Keep the, off her we'll be there in a second." York said, a hint of urgency mixed with anger._

"_I-I can't! I can't compromise my position or jeopardize your location!" _

_Maryland tried to sit her up but the pain in her ribs prevented her from doing so. Footsteps quickly approached from parts unknown. "Is she alive?" "Yeah, she is." "Do we take prisoners?" "We do now." The butt of a rifle struck her in the side of her head, everything went black._

__Break__

Washington angrily ripped off her helmet. "We're just giving up on her? Is that it?" He spat. "Wash…" York said warningly, setting a hand on his shoulder. Wash smacked his hand away. The Director stood unfazed by the rage shown by the freelancer. His expression never changing he said, "Agent Washington we have no evidence that agent Maryland is still alive. We haven't received any distress beacon, we lost track of her vitals when her helmet cracked. We can only assume the worst."

He slammed his fist down on the holo table. "Sir, Maryland is one of our best agents. Not even that she's _family_. Are we just going to give up on her on a hunch?" He spat.

Carolina sighed. "Wash, we're just as upset about this. But we have to face the facts. This isn't a rescue mission. It's a recovery op and nothing more."

"Carolina is correct. I'm sending you, her and the twins in to recovery her armor. I don't care if you have to level the damn place to do it, just get it done." The director stepped to the said, his final thought on the matter already spoken.

Wash's eyes dragged up to the board on the back wall. Names and numbers listed. Tex in first, Carolina second, then York, then North, after that Maine, and then finally Maryland. Her name was erased from the 6th place and was replaced with his own. From then on there was on 49 slots.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

All hell broke loose. Bullets flying, explosions ricocheting off the walls. They headed in hard and loud, not caring who stood in their way. South and Carolina took it upon themselves to keep most of them busy in the court yard and see who could rack up the larger body count. This left North and Wash to recover Maryland's armor.

As the two headed for the lab, they ran across a patrol. "There they are!" One of them yelled. Wash drew his combat knife and threw it as hard as he could. The blade embedded in deeply in the soldier's helmet, piercing his visor and killing him instantly. He dropped to the floor. His partner backed away slowly, offering little resistance as bullets tore through his body, killing him as well. Without one word Washington walked forward, ripping his knife out of the soldier's helmet and wiping off the blood on his armor. "Nice throw."

Washington was unusually silent this mission. Normally no one could get him to shut up. But there was something off about him. He didn't seem focused on recovering Maryland's armor and more focused on his own agenda. Whether it is to kill the bastards that caused this or to find Olivia he had yet to figure out. "Still bent up about Olivia?" North said magnetizing his rifle to his back. Wash didn't answer him. "Come on, start talking, you haven't said anything to anyone for days."

"I just feel like we're giving up on her." Wash finally said after a moment. "It's been weeks Wash, we don't even know if she's still alive. Without her helmet we can't track her. Even if she is still alive she could be anywhere. We're looking for a needle in a haystack here." North sighed. "So that's it? We're just going to toss her away like trash? It's fucking bullshit!" His stare at his partner hardened. "I don't know what to tell you Wash, I just don't know." North said. "I bet you don't." Wash spat, venom dripping from his voice.

"Wash, don't make me the bad guy here. I didn't make this decision. If it were up to me we'd still be looking for her." "I'm done with this conversation."

Not another word was exchanged between the two before they reached the labs. Wash punched he door controls before heading in. North stood a few feet back from him, no doubt he was seeing red.

Chemicals and test tube lined the walls. Failed experiments sat tossed into the corners and forgot about. Black clad armor sat on the examination table in the center of the room. Several key components were torn out and set aside. The helmet was missing, they probably threw it away thinking it was missing. "Carolina we found her armor." North radioed in. "Move to LZ Alpha for immediate extract, we'll meet you there once we're finished here." Carolina said, breathing heavily. "Take your time ladies."

North hoisted Maryland's suit over his shoulders, eyes darting over too his partner. "Ready?" Once more he didn't receive an answer. He seemed focused on something else.

"Th-there's a blood trail here." Wash said pointing to the table next to where the armor was previously laying. Blood dripped down to the floor from a pool of the table. The trail stretched across the floor as if someone had been dragged. The trail led to another door, probably a cell. North didn't say a word as Wash hit the controls to the door. In his unstable state it was better to leave him be.

In the middle of the cell was a body err… a woman. Blood pooled beneath her. She had sustained various would ranging from stab wound to burns, at least that's what he could see. Wash crouched beside the woman, his heart pounding in his chest as he carefully rolled her onto her back.

His eyes widened in recognizing a familiar face. "Oh my god… North it's Olivia!" He said. The black body suit that she had on was torn open and ripped. There were several stab wounds to her abdomen, 2nd and 3rd degree burns across her shoulders. Bruises bloomed over her skin and there were probably a number of hidden injuries internally. Her skin was pale and cold. She was thin; she had lost a lot of weight. He didn't even want to think about what they had done to her. He pressed two fingers to the base of her jaw, feeling for a flicker of life from the severely wounded freelancer.

"I got a pulse. She's alive, barely." Wash said quickly. "Carolina we found Maryland!" "What? You found her? Is she alive?"

"Yes she's alive. Radio 479er. When she comes in for evac she better bring a medic with her." Washington said before carefully lifting Olivia into his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Wash boarded the pelican, Maryland in his arms. He received confused glances from several other agents until they recognized who she was. Montana seemed one of the more shock. Here was his old partner, who he was convinced was dead, now barely clinging to life.

__Break__

Maryland was handed over to the medics for treatment. It was a miracle she had survived. It would take weeks, if not months to recover from this. They beat the living hell out of her. Fractures and breaks littered her body. 2nd and 3rd degree burns covered 40 percent of her body, a good portion of the burns were a few days old. God knows what kind of infection has already set in. She had a number of internal injuries that needed to be operated on ranging from bleeding to muscle and ligament tears. She was also diagnosed with a severe concussion from shear blunt force trauma that could cause a number of serious problems. She could be paralyzed. She could be brain dead. She could have severe memory loss. They wouldn't know the extent of it until she woke up, if she ever did.

With arms crossed over his chest, Washington watched from the observation deck. She was still unconscious. She had recently been pulled from surgery to repair torn muscles and patch some bleeding. Bandages wrapped around most of her body, covering wounds that were sure to leave horrible and disfiguring scars.

He thought to himself for a minute, was this worth it? Yes they found her alive, but barely. She hung on by a thread. He didn't even want to begin to think about what they did to her in there besides beat the hell out of her. It was unclear if she'd actually wake up or not. In a vegetable state, unable to move or carry out simple functions. Olivia wouldn't want to live like that. Say if she did wake up, she would definitely have some form of PTSD or other psychological disorder.

"I thought I'd find you up here." North said entering the observation deck. "You kinda disappeared after the mission."

Wash was surprised he would want to talk after he snapped at him in the base. "I'm sorry a snapped at it earlier." "You were just pissed, we've all been there. Don't be so hard on yourself." North shrugged. "You being hard headed is the whole reason Olivia's sitting down there in recovery and not in a body bag."

North glanced down from the deck at Maryland. "Damn…"

His A.I, Theta, took his normal spot on his shoulder. "Who's that North?" "You remember Maryland don't you?" "I thought she went away for a while."

Having an A.I. with the mind of a 5 year old can tug at the heart strings sometimes and he didn't understand certain concepts. You couldn't try to explain what happened to Maryland to him. "She went away for a while, but we missed her so much we went and brought her home. She's just really tired right now." North said, offering Theta a weak smile. Wash's jaw tightened. "Sh-she's pretty North."

"Agent Washington, please report to the bridge." F.L.I.S.S. announced.

"Well that's probably the Director ready to tear me a new asshole. If I don't show up for training tomorrow, you'll know he killed me." Wash sighed.

_Break_

Washington stepped onto the bridge like he was walking down the hall to the electric chair. His heart hammered in his chest. The Director turned to face him from the board. "Agent Washington, I made myself very clear in saying that this was a recovery op." "Yes Sir…" "And any step outside the boundaries of the mission would result in disciplinary action." "I'm well aware sir."

He stared down at the floor, expecting to be chewed out any second now. "However, I will make an exception here…" Wash looked up at the Director, trying to read his emotionless face for an explanation. "Not only did you return Maryland home to us. We've found evidence the Insurrection is working on something rather disturbing." The director said, but he stopped there and didn't offer any further explanation.

"And that would be…"

"That information is classified until we find more details about it. But once we know, we'll tell you. That should be fairly soon with the files that you stole from the base a few weeks ago." He explained. "You've done well."

His eyes shot up to the board, watching his name swap places with Maine's, now taking 5th place. Everyone's name shifted up to make room for another slot. Maryland's name took its place in slot number 50. His heart sank. After this pure hell she was put through, she was left to claw her way back up to the top again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Olivia was asleep for the next two weeks. No one was allowed to see her, no one was allowed in her room. They only way anyone could watch over her was from the observation deck. She was basically quarantined. It was an agonizing wait to all of them. The fought to find her, now they had to fight to keep the director from shutting off her life support.

_Break_

Wash wiped the sweat from his forehead as he took off his helmet. His heart still hammered in his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Christ Maine I knew you were pissed that I kicked you out of your spot of the board, but you don't need to try to kill me!" He groaned, returning his gun holster to its place in the armory. Blood trickled out of his left shoulder where Maine had gotten too close to him with a combat knife.

"Ah well if you're going to take my place, the least I can do is give you a hard time staying there." Maine smirked taking off his helmet.

"Asshole..."

He fumbled with the latches on his chest plate, letting it fall to the floor. Blood started to drip to the floor. This was going to be a bitch to clean out.

"Aww dammit Wash you got blood on my armor!" Maine whined holding his arm out. The crimson liquid was smeared across his forearm.

"You took a stab at me, I got bled on your armor. What did you think was going to happened?" Wash laughed.

"But blood sucks to get out of white!"

Wash arched an eyebrow. "I don't think you realize how fucked up this conversation is."

The two laughed it off for a minute or two ad he removed his shoulder plating. Leaning forward he looked into the mirror in his looker, running his eyes over the wound.

"Fuck you really got me good there." He said.

Maine mockingly brought out the sad eyes. "Awww I didnt hurt the baby too bad now did I?"

Wash punched in him in the shoulder. "Nah I'll just need a few stitches."

"They put you down to train with South next week, you better hope she's in a good mood that day." Maine said sitting himself down on the bench.

"Oh fuck my life, she's definetly going to kill me." Wash groaned.

"Don't try to run. Don't try to fight back. Just lay down and accept the beating and wait for North to step in. Try not to cry, that'll just encourage her." Maine laughed.

"What was that!"

The highly annoyed and irritated voice of South pierced the air as she stomped into the locker room.

"Nothing!" Maine quickly said. Wash but his lip to keep himself from laughing. South narrowed her eyes at them. "If you two are done jacking each other off down here, Maryland's awake. The director wants to talk to us before we can see her." She sneered. Wash almost trampled her trying to get out the door.

_Break_

When was entered the observation deck, he was greeted be a few questioning glances. Then he realized he had only removed half his armor from his body suit before racing here and his shoulder was still bleeding. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "We uh... just finished training."

"I figured. Just didn't expect you to come up half way in the middle of stripping." Carolina arched an eyebrow. "You should probably get your shoulder checked out afterwards, that looks bad."

Wash shrugged it off. "It can wait. It's not that bad."

The director stood looking over the observation window, locked in a dead stare with Maryland below. The bandages covering the burns on her shoulders we being changed. As they were peeled back, they exposed a wound so severe and painful it was enough to make him wince.

"I've already told you that Maryland is awake. However we still have a great concern." He said turning to face the agents. "When treating her we ran across something rather interesting in her blood test. We had our suspicions but the files York and Washington stole confirmed it. They've been experimenting on her."

Carolina narrowed her eyes. "What were they testing for?"

"That's just it." He said, his fingers tracing some of the files sitting on the table next to him. "We believe they were trying to chemically create super soldiers. But what they've had so far hasn't had the best outcome until recently."

So she was a pin cushion for insurrection to play with. She wasnt ment to me some animal for them to pump full of chemicals and poke at to watch what happens.

"I've left certain files open for you to look at, they're just records before they tested on Maryland. We're not fully sure which way this will go. The chemicals in her blood can cause serious damage, we wont know what they'll do until it happens."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After removing the rest of his armor and having his shoulder stitched back together, Washington headed into see Maryland. He swallowed hard before entering her room, mapping out what he was going to say to her in his head. When he entered, her face seemed to brighten up a bit. She smiled weakly. His mind went blank, everything he had planned to say to her just escaped him.

He ran his eyes over her briefly. Her bruised and scratched face had started to heal. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying recently and he could tell she had been doing it a lot.

"You gave us one hell of a scare." He said.

"I know... how long was I out?" Olivia asked.

"Uh... 2 weeks... you were critical when we found you." He said.

"They said I could be out for months. I might never return to normal duty." Olivia grit her teeth. "Its not fair."

Wash sat himself on the edge of her bed, taking her hand in his. "I know how you feel Liv. But what they did to you..." He stopped himself once she saw her bite her lip. She shifted uncomfortably.

"You don't even know the half off what they did to me..." she whispered. "Every day, all day they did nothing but stick stuff in me. They tested things on me. Every day it was something different. Stuff that would burn, other stuff that would cause me to stop breathing. They didn't care. They thought it was fun."

He felt her squeeze his hand. He honestly didnt know how to respond to her. He was never put into a position like this before. Telling her he knew how she felt was just an act in a failed effort to comfort her.

Wash looked up at her tear stained face. But then something strange occurred. There was a cut just below her left eye about 4 inches long. It seemed to heal right before his eyes and re seal the skin, a darker red line of scar tissue forming over and taking its place.

He reached forward, his fingers just brushing where the cut once was causing her to flinch a bit.

"Easy, I won't hurt you." He said pressing lightly on her skin. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"That doesn't hurt?"

"No..." Olivia gave a questioning look.

"You had a cut right here. But it's gone now. It literally just healed itself right in front of me." He said.

Her fingers darted up to her cheek feeling where the cut once laid. Her eyes widened in an almost panic like confusion. "How did..."

_Break_

Wash pulled some of those files the director left open for them. A surge of panic and confusion shot through him once he saw her skin heal itself so quickly. Sitting down in the conference room with hard copies of the files, he skimmed over them.

These were records previously tested subjects before Olivia. They tested one 4 other people before her. Most of the first two records were painted red with censors and blocked information that Freelancer didnt have the time nor the resources to decrypt. But from what he could sift through, they both died within days of testing. Neither of them could handle the stress that was put on them. These were two of Insurrection's own soldiers that they tested on. From that point on they tested on prisoners.

The next file was a bit more open but not my much. There was no name to this person they tested on. Everything was open up until the last 3 entries. This person could handle a bit more than the previous 2 but the chemicals and surgeries they tested started to break them down from the inside. Groups of muscles started to fall apart and fail which led to paralysis. Ultimately he died of total organ failure. As he skimmed the page, it was briefly mentioned that this subject was showing some evidence of mental defect.

They last subject was not censored at all. Every entry was in place from day one to a week later.

_Day 1 - Implantation successful, subject is alert, vitals are normal._

Nothing odd there.

_Day 2 - Subject now awake. Heightened senses already begining to show. Futher testing on abilities will resume tomorrow._

_Day 3 - Subject went into combat with 2 of out best men. Survival insticts increased trumendously. Combat ability shows no limits. Mental capacity limitless. Wounds heal remarkably fast. Some complaints of mild discomfort and head aches made._

_Day 4 - Insomnia has started. Subject growing more irritable than usual. Lashed out on a guard claiming the voices told him to do it. Had to be sedated._

What? That was a sharp turn.

_Day 5 - Subject showing schizophrenic like tendencies. Pain tolerance has greatly increased. Becoming dangerous. Moved to high security._

Dare he read on? Things took a sharp turn for the worst. He didnt think he would want to know what would happen next.

_Day - 6 Subject lashed out again this time killing 4 guards and disfiguring 2 others. Has picked up cannibalistic tendencies. Metal capacity diminished entirely, only survival instincts and basic functions remain. Drastic measures will be taken immediately._

The entries ended there. It took Wash a second to process all that he had just read. He felt his stomach turn as the thought of all this happening to Olivia plagued his mind. He couldnt imagine her in the midst of insanity, restrained in a straight jacket, schizophrenia preventing her from something so simple as to think. Insurrection just stamped an approval on her death certificate. She was going to die.

Wash leaned back in his chair, his fingers running through his hair. They brought her back from the brink of death just to watch her slowly deteriorate into insanity.


	6. Chapter 6

_"Liv?" _

_The door to her apartment sat wide open. Everything was thrown around. Pictures pulled off the walls. Furniture scattered the floor. Windows were busted with broken glass everywhere._

"_Olivia?" He called again taking a few steps in farther. His hand reached for his side arm as his hip. His voice only echoed until was dead silent. _

"_David! Help me!" Olivia screamed._

_His eyes snapped forward and he bolted in the direction that her voice came from._

_The stench of blood floated in the air as he rounded the next corner into the living room. What he saw turned his stomach. Blood sprayed across the walls and floor. His breath hitched, his heart throbbing in his chest. Bodies lay across the floor, bodies of the other freelancers, all if them stabbed repeatedly. In the center of the room sat Olivia. She hugged her legs close to her chest and pressed her forehead to her knees. _

"_They were going to hurt you. They were going to take you away. Shut up they were my friends! No! They thought you were crazy, they were coming to kill you!" She murmured. Her voice changed tones with every sentence as if she was arguing with herself._

"_Olivia..." He crouched beside her gently resting a hand on her shoulder. "Olivia are you..."_

_Her head quickly snapped back to look at him. Her eyes were stone cold. There was blood smeared across her face. Wash quickly snapped his hand back. She had this demented and crazed look about her. She seemed possessed in a way, she didn't look like she was human. An aurora of paranoia and insanity floated about her. Wash stood frozen in place._

"_They told me to do it!" She hissed. "They thought i was crazy!" There was a bloody knife in her hand._

_He backed up a few feet. "Olivia..."_

"_You dont think I'm crazy, do you?" _

"_Olivia I..."_

"_You do think Im crazy!" Her grip on the knife in her hand tightened. "You're not going to take us away!" _

_She_ _lunged forward, stabbing the knife deep into his abdomen. He screamed out in pain. She pushed all of her weight forward, pushing him flat onto his back. All the air blew from his chest, he felt nothing but excruciating pain._

_Olivia straddled his hips as she pulled the knife from his abdomen. The crazed look in her eyes never changed as she hoisted the knife over her head with both hands. In one swift motion she brought the knife down, embedding it deeply into his chest._

Wash jolted awake. He quickly sat himself up in a panic. Sweat dripped from his forehead. Breathing heavily he glanced over at the clock on his nightstand, it was 2 in the morning.

Laying back down, her face was burned into his mind, how crazy and unhuman she looked. Thinking wasnt possible to her. Voices had plagued her mind making her paranoid, unbalanced on the edge of sanity.

After a few moments of panicking Wash built up the will that it was just a dream and nothing more. Olivia was going to be fine. She had to be.

_Break_

It was another training day. Montana and the twins were on floor while Wash watched from observation. This was clearly an off day for Montana, he wasnt doing so well against the twins.

"Mind if we join you?" Maryland said entering the observation deck, York followed behind her. His eyes flashed to her. Images from last night flashed into his head. The blood, the knife, the crazed look in her eyes right before she killed him, all of it. He quickly forced those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"No I don't mind." He said turning his attention back to the training floor.

"Everything alright there? You look like your out of it?" She asked. Dark circles had formed under his eyes from a lack of sleep.

"Yeah I'm fine. I just didn't sleep too well last night that's all." He said.

She sighed and turned to face the training floor, watching her old partner.

Maryland arched an eyebrow. "What happened to him in the time I was gone? He sucks right now."

"Eh, since you've been gone Monty's trying to take over the spotlight. It's not really going all that well for him." York said.

She shrugged. "I miss training sometimes. I really want to get back out there."

York's A.I, Delta, took his normal place over his shoulder. "I couldn't help but intrude, Maryland you are actually scheduled for training in two days. You will be going against York, Washington, and Montana."

York looked curiously down at his A.I. "I don't remember being told this..."

"A changed was recently made by the director. Carolina and South were supposed to train together that day. I believe he would like to see how well Maryland has recovered." Delta said.

York arched an eyebrow. "When did he plan on telling us that?"

"I was under the assumption that you were made aware of this change."

Washington nudged Maryland a bit. "Here's your chance to show your old partner how it's done."

Maryland smiled. "I guess, it's been a long time since I've trained against him. I havent really talked to him since I was release."

Wash narrowed his eyes a bit. "Really? I thought he was scared half to death. He was worried sick about you."

She shrugged. "I dont know, I've tried to talk to him but he won't answer me. I don't know what his problem is recently."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Maryland sat in the locker room getting ready for training the next morning. This was the first time she had worn her armor after being repaired from the what insurrection did to it. Personally she wad surprised they could salvage it, key components were torn out and split open in attempt to understand them. The armored plates themselves were fine but the computer systems on the inside were almost completely fried by the time they were done with it.

She checked the time, training didnt start for another hour. Reaching back into her locker she pulled folder off the top shelf, a file the director had given her to read up on but she never really had the time to. Sitting down on the bench she opened to the first page, and was completely horrified with what she saw.

*Break*

Where the hell was she? Training started in 15 minutes. Wash could find her anywhere.

"Hey, Monty. Seen Olivia anywhere?" He stopped her old partner in the hall.

"Why the hell would I know?" He snapped.

His eyes widened at the vicious response. "Well you're her partner."

"Was her partner, I work on my own now." Monty corrected his voice almost mocking him.

Wash narrowed his eyes. "The hells gotten into you?"

He shrugged merely brushing off the comment rather than listening to it. "Did you hear what's going to happen to Liv? What this shits doing to her?"

Wash arched an eyebrow. "Why, what did you hear?"

"That she's going to lose her fucking mind, the last few people they tested this shit on completely went insane. Flew off the deep end and had to be killed before they could cause anymore damage."

His stomach twisted at the thought of it. Everytime he pictured her in his head with the same outcome of the past experiments, he felt sick.

"I guess miss perfection isnt so perfect anymore." Monty smirked.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Wash growled.

"Queen bitch just got kicked off her throne."

*Break*

"Liv? Are you in here? Training starts in 10." Wash called as he walked into the locker rooms. Anger still burned in him from the conversation with Montana. No answer came.

He leaned over, looking around the next bank where her locker was. Huddled on the floor next to the bench was Oliva. Her legs were hugged close to her chest and her forehead pressed against her armor plated knees. Soft whimpering cries came from the young freelancer.

"Liv?"

He crouched down next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. His confused thoughts were answered when he saw the open folder on the floor next to her.

"Is this all true? Is this whats going to happen to me?" She said between sobs.

"Liv... no you're going to be fine we can fix this." He tripped over words, trying to find the right way to explain this.

She lifted her head up, puffy red tear stained eyes met his. "How? How could we fix this? The damage is already being done. We cant do a goddamn thing about it!"

He bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Honestly he couldnt find the right words. There was nothing he could say to her that would matter in the long run. Insurrection stamped an approval on her death certificate when they began the experiments.

"I... I know it looks bad here Liv. But you have to look at it like it's not over." Wash sighed. "You cant look at this like tomorrows your last day here."

"I thought it was over when you and North found me that night." She kicked the folder away from her life it was some venomous monster. "And with what this bullshit says I only have a few days until i lose my fucking mind."

"Liv you've been home for a few weeks now, if something was going to happen to you, dont you think it would've happened by now?" Wash said. "Here you are just the same as you were before."

Maryland scoffed. "No Wash, Im not the same anymore. I'm a goddamn train wreck now. I still have nightmares from the whole thing. I can't sleep. I can't focus. I can't eat. Half the other agents stare at my like Im some sort of monster." She spat, her fingers gripping her hair tightly. "My own partner fucking hates me now."

His blood started to boil with anger once more. But before he could open his mouth to respond to her, she cut him off once more.

"Monty went around to every agent saying what happened that night. He said he was so anger and upset that he couldnt do a damn thing to save me. He said I tripped and fell and that's how I got captured. And everyone believed his bullshit." Oliva said. Her tone changed suddenly and harshly. "I didn't fall, I was FUCKING PUSHED!" She forced the last word out of her throat. Her eyes burned with anger but were quickly drowned with tears. "So now he's the fucking victim who cried the blues and I'm the hideous monster because of what could happen to me."

Wash merely sat there trying to find the correct way to word a response. He never knew about any of this. He never new about the prolonged stress this had caused her. He never knew that the other agents looked at her like some freak and not the friend she use to be. And he certainly never knew about what Monty did.

"Liv, he... he pushed you?" His voice soft and concerning. "Why didn't you tell anyone about it?"

"I tried!" Her voice cracked horribly, coming out more as a choked sob more than actual words. "He said it was just the PTSD getting to me. And they wouldn't believe me!"

She pressed her forehead to her knees and cried. She would cry until she couldnt anymore. His heart ached at the sight of her. This wasnt the snarky, sarcastic Olivia he knew. And this certainly wasnt the strong-willed and care free Olivia he grew to love. Her life was stopped cold by sheer ignorance and jealousy.

"Liv, please..." He breathed. His fingers hooked under chin, lifting her head gently so she looked up at him. "Don't do this to yourself. I can't stand to see this eat away at you. You're not going to be like the others. You're stronger than that."

Her face started to redden, either in a blush or shame Wash had yet to figure out.

"David... Have you ever felt like you were falling? Nothing below to catch you, nothing there to save you from crashing and burning when you hit the ground. Just a free fall with a false hope, thinking there's something there to hold on to at the end."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A/N: Need more reviews! Speak your minds!

Wash loaded paint rounds into his side arm. He remained silent the entire time they were in the armory, refusing to even look at Montana after what Maryland said.

"What are you giving me the silent treatment now?" Montana said arching an eyebrow and load his gun.

Wash never looked up from his gun. "You could say that."

"Oh come on. If this is about what I said about the bitch." Monty shrugged.

"That bitch has a name Monty. You should start using it."

"Who gives a shit."

"Clearly if you don't then I will."

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Monty glared at Washington, but he still refused to return the look.

"The fuck is your problem Wash?"

"Yeah? The fuck is your's?"

His eyes finally snapped forward. If looks could kill Monty would've been slaughtered.

"Just because you've finally decided to grow a pair doesn't give you the right to treat Oliva like a piece of shit." He hissed.

"Wash you know whats going to happen to her." Monty said.

"It's not going to happen." He grit through his teeth.

"What makes you think it's not going to?" Monty arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So what if it does, so what if it doesnt. She doesnt need you fucking her over like this. Everything else is already fucking her over she doesnt need your bullshit to add onto it." Wash spat.

What he said didnt seem to faze him. She smirked as if everything he said went through one ear and out the other.

"Sometimes all it takes is a little push."

*Break*

Anyone who wasnt out on a mission was standing in observation to watch them train. Maryland up against her old partner and a close friend. The director watched every move they made on the floor like a hawk.

Maryland stood across the floor from Wash and Monty, her hand on her holster. She wash locked in a dead stare with her old partner, glaring at him through her visor.

Pillars of concrete rose up from the floor to provide some type of cover.

"Training will begin in 5... 4... 3..."

Her heart slammed against her rib cage. She watched Monty reach for his gun. Wash didnt move.

"2...1... begin."

Time slowed to her as Monty drew his side arm, immediately pulling the trigger. Maryland dove to her right behind a pillar. Paint rounds struck and hardened to the slab of concrete, she heard Monty curse in frustration. "Don't bother, she's always going to be faster than you." Wash said drawing his weapon.

"Fuck off." Monty hissed.

Maryland pressed her back against the pillar. She closed her eyes for a brief second. Monty clicked the release on the magazine currently in his gun. Once both of them heard that soft click they knew mistake number one was made.

"You fucking dumbass." Wash groaned.

Before the mag even hit the ground, Maryland stood up from her position, spraying rounds as fast as she could. Monty never had the chance to reload before paint struck and hardened around his armor, paralyzing him. Wash dove out of the way, losing his grip on his weapon.

Landing on his stomach, he quickly reached for his gun not more than a few feet away.

Maryland stepped on his wrist, not hard but more than enough to keep it pinned. She pressed the barrel of her gun into the side of his helmet. "Checkmate."

She moved the barrel and fired the round into his shoulder instead.

Maryland stood up and returned to her original spot on the training floor.

As the paint dissolved from his armor Monty thought to himself briefly. This was going to be harder than he thought.

*break*

"Not feeling so ballsy now are ya?" Wash said.

"Shut the fuck up." Monty snapped.

Wash merely shook his head.

The training floor shifted once more, less cover now being provided, upping the difficulty a bit.

"5...4...3..."

Once again, Maryland stayed locked in a dead stare with her old partner. Angered slurs and empty threats raced through her mind.

"2...1... begin."

Monty had already drawn his pistol before the round even began. A single paint round stuck and hardened around her left shoulder. She staggered only for a moment, refusing to allow the next round he fired to hit her. Quickly diving out of the way, she quickly slammed her shoulder into the closest pillar. The crystalized purple shattered on contact and fell from her armor.

Wash couldnt help but cringe before moving. He had to admit that looked painful.

"You go left, i go right. Pin her down." He said drawing his gun. Monty seemed deaf to him. Not saying one word he sprinted forward after Maryland.

"Or not..." he groaned.

Without hesitation, Monty dove towards Maryland. His first instinct was to try to get her gun away from her. And he succeeded in doing that since her gun flew from her hand when he tackled her. Her head snapped back, striking the concrete, dizzying her. She rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows to try and regain her bearings.

The barrel of a gun pressed against the back of her head.

"Looks like you lost this one." Monty smirked.

Before he even had the chance to pull the trigger she pushed herself up to her reached back and grabbed his wrist with both hands and dragged his arm forward. His chest smacked her back as she ripped the gun from his hand by simply forcing it beyond his reach.

With the gun no longer a problem, she drove her elbow back into his stomach.

He doubled over in pain, allowing her to stand up and unload.

The empty mag fell to the floor and she slid in a fresh one.

Grey and yellow armor flashed in the corner of her eye.

Quickly moving to avoid two paint rounds, she sprinted forward. It didnt take much to sweep his legs right out from under him.

Wash landed harshly on his back, all the air blew from his chest. He hissed in both pain and annoyance. Just too seal the deal, she fired a round or two to prevent him from getting back up.

"Close, you almost had me there Wash." She laughed.

"Show off." Wash groaned.

*Break*

More pillars disappear from the floor. Cover now was openly spread out, a good deal of distance remained between the pillars.

It was very evident that Montana was getting pissed off. He was tired of getting the shit kicked out of him.

"5...4..."

Monty pushed a fully loaded mag into his gun. He didnt even wait for the round to start. He quickly aimed and pulled the trigger.

Both Wash and Maryland believed it to only be paint at first. Piercing pain ripped through her right shoulder and stomach. A cry of agony tore from her throat as the pain took her off her feet. Both hands shot to her stomach as she doubled over on her knees.

Blood started seep between her fingers.

Monty had swapped out his paint rounds for live ammunition, and he looked damn proud of it too.

"What the fuck are you doing!" Wash yelled. He slammed himself into him in an effort to get the gun away from him.

Monty quickly retaliated, slamming his fist into Wash's jaw. The sheer force of his head snapping back caused his helmet to fly off. He staggered back a few steps, blood starting to drip from his mouth.

"Im getting tired of your bullshit Wash. Should of just stayed out of it." Monty leveled the gun at Wash, squeezing the trigger.

"NO!" Maryland screamed. She dove in front of Wash. The three bullets that were fired all struck Maryland in the chest. Blood sprayed over the training floor. She fell, motionless it wasnt long before blood started to leak out of the bullet holes in her armor.

Wash saw red, his blood started to boil with rage. Tears pricked at his eyes as he drew his sidearm and emptied ever round into Monty. The paint solidified around his armor, paralyzing him.

He dropped to his knees beside Olivia. He fumbled with the latches on her chest plate. Half of him didnt want to see how bad her injuries were. despite having an incredible healing factor, she could still be killed.

Some if the other freelancers sprinted out onto the training floor. Expressions of anger and rage were engraved on their face.

"Monty! What the fucking hell were you thinking!" Carolina yelled. York kneeled beside Wash, helping him take off some of her armor to get a look at her injuries.

Blood had already begun to pool between the armored plating and her body suit.

Wash felt sick to his stomach but finally worked up the nerve to remove her helmet.

Her skin was pale, her eyes shut tightly. Blood started to stream from her mouth. Wash pressed two fingers to the side of her neck, feeling for even the slightest flicker of life.

"She... she's gone..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"She...she's gone..."

He couldnt do anything more than stare down at her pale face. She died for him. _She_ died for _him_. He didnt know who to blame here. Monty for being to fucking arrogant, or himself for being so stupid.

Agonizing seconds ticked by and no one said a word. They were in a state of shock. For most this was all too sudden, not one word of warning. Washington want this all to be a nightmare. A horrible dream he'd wake up from with Maryland back to her normal self.

With one final push back to life, Maryland arched back, inhaling sharply. Her eyes snapped open, locked in a stare with the ceiling as she gasped for air. The sudden jolt of life startled all of them. Her frantic blue eyes darted from face to face around the room ultimately freezing when her gaze met Wash's. She breath heavily, wheezing and choking as if her lungs refused to take in the oxygen she so desperately needed.

"Liv, liv just calm down and breathe." Wash braced his arms against her shoulder to keep her steady, half stunned at her sudden return from the dead.

She propped herself up just enough to look down at the 4 bullet wounds across her chest and stomach. Skin began to seal itself, lines of scar tissue forming over where the wounds once were. Her breathing steadied, she no longer was choking for air.

His heart slammed against his ribcage. He was at a loss of words. She had cheated death _twice_. His arms wrapped tightly around her, pressing his forehead to her shoulder.

"You were gone. You didnt have a pulse, you were *dead*." Wash sputtered, tears pricking at his eyes.

A small smile crept across her face. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

A complete sigh of relief left many of them that stood around them.

"God damn kid, you were always one hell of fighter." York smiled, a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders.

The director made his way out onto the training floor. Everyone fell silent once more.

"Agent Montana, explain to me why you brought live ammunition out on to the training floor. And explain to me why you thought it was a good idea to attempt to kill two of my best agents." His voice remained calm an collective.

By now the crystalized paint on his armor had begun to dissolve. "Sir I-I..." he sputtered.

"I dont appreciate you harming your own teammates. And I dont appreciate you damaging freelancer equipment." The director said. "I don't see a future position for you here anymore."

With the paint now entirely dissolved, Monty locked eyes with Maryland.

"I should've fucking killed you myself when I had the chance." He yelled. He completely lashed out, fighting against Tex and Carolina as they held him back. "Next time I won't leave Insurrection to do it for me."

*Break*

Just a a precaution, Maryland was sent into med bay. York, Wash, and North stayed while they waited for the results of some x rays to see if there was anymore bleeding.

"Would you mind filling in the blanks here Liv?" North said.

She sat herself up on the examination table. "I uh... Monty must've told you I slipped off that ridge on that mission." She sighed.

"That's what he told everyone. Nobody said otherwise." York said.

"I didnt slip. He pushed me. I tried to say something but no one believed me. They thought I was crazy. They thought the mental deffects from the experiments started to kick it. Any time i went to anyone he covered it up by saying it was PTSD." She explained.

_"Agents York and North to the bridge please"_

"Damn... I think I've heard enough here." York growled. "I'll be back to choose which knife to castrate this bastard with later."

Maryland and Washington were left alone. Both couldnt find the word to say to each other. A few brittle seconds of silence passed before Wash grew the balls to speak first.

"I... I didnt actually think that Monty had the balls to do something like this." He said. "You scared the shit out of me Liv. You sacred the shit out of all of us."

Olivia stared down at her lap. "I saw him point the gun at you and I thought the worst. I couldnt let you get hurt over me."

"Liv you didnt just get hurt. You _died_. You died trying to protect *me*."

"If you get hurt, you cant come back. But I can."

"_Olivia_..." he breathed. It was strange to hear her full name roll off his tongue with such ease. He almost never said her full name before.

His arms braced against the examination table on either side of her. She look up from her lap. Her eyes finally meeting his, blushing a bit.

"It wouldnt have made a difference in my decision David... I still wouldve protected you." She said.

"Yes it wouldve. It's the reason you're still here talking to me." He said, his voice softened. He gripped the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white.

Her face looked like an over ripe cherry about to pop. The warm tension in the pit of her stomach ached to be released, with every minute that ticked by it grew tighter.

His mind went blank for a moment. He didnt zone out, he was contemplating if his next move was the right one. It was his only move he had left. He cared about her too much to see her hurt like this anymore. In one fluent motion he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. A small squeak of surprise rose from her throat but she ultimately returned the kiss.

In that moment she forgot everything. She forgot about Montana. She forgot about the experiment. She only thought about this moment and what it felt like to be in love again.

A/N: did y'all really think I was gonna kill her off?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A cherry red blush spread across her face as he gently pulled back. His fingers threaded through her jet black hair. His blue eyes filled with compassion and love. The only thing that held him back from spilling how he truly felt about her was finding the right way to say it.

"I can't stand to see you hurt like this anymore Liv." He said. "I care to much about you to watch this anymore."

Her blush deepened. Butterflies twisted in her stomach.

"I...I..." she sputtered. Her mind wouldnt match her mouth. Her heart slammed in her chest. Instead she let action speak for her, wrapping her arms around his neck, drawing him back for another kiss. He responded right away, wrapping his arms around her waist. She needed this. She needed to feel like she was loved.

Olivia felt a sudden wave of guilt wash over her. She couldnt do this. What if worst came to worst. What if she turned out like another failed experiment. That feeling of passion died.

"David... we shouldnt do this..." Olivia whispered. "What if I turn out like the others..."

"Olivia it wont happen. You're going to be just fine. And if it does, it wont change the way I feel about you." His lips brushed against hers once more.

His hands slid down her sides to her hips, pulling her into him, causing a gasp to slip from her lips from the sudden contact. Her legs wrapped around his armored hips, suddenly wishing there wasnt the barrier of his armor separating them. She molded to his body, pressing against him. He pulled away, causing a soft whimper from Olivia. He pressed his lips to the base of her neck.

"The Director will kill us both if he finds out about this." She said.

"I can take that chance." He smiled.

*_break_*

Unknown to them a little bird watched over them.

"I fucking knew it! I knew he was gonna make a move!" York said punching North in the shoulder. They watched the whole scene unfold from the observation deck.

"Alright, alright. You called it." North laughed. "They're going to kill us if they found out we watched them."

"That's if the director doesnt kill us first for being late to the bridge." York shrugged. Theta and Delta both watched, very interested.

"North, what are they doing down there?" Theta wondered.

"They're... they're just hugging that's all." North tensed.

"Then why are they're mouths touching?"

"York i think its time to go!"

*_break_*

Montana was thrown in the brig for what he had down on the training floor. He had every intent to kill Olivia, Wash only got in the way that. After what he said on the training floor, what happened to Maryland over a month ago was no longer ruled as an accident. An investigation was launched and he was questioned, but they found themselves trying to sift through enraged slurs and empty threats. It wasn't a question of what he did, it was a question of why he did it. Maryland was one of their best agents. What could possibly posses him to do something like this.

"Come to visit an old friend?" Montana smirked leaning back in his chair.

"I wouldn't call you a friend." Maryland leaned over the interrogation table, her arms braced on its cold metal surface.

He shrugged. "So, what did you drag me out of my cell for?"

"There's no question of what you did. All i need to know is why?" She said.

A sinister smile spread across his face. "If North and York couldn't get it out of me why should I tell you? I mean you only have a few weeks before you lose your fucking mind."

Her eyes narrowed a bit. "You know what, forget it. I don't need to deal with your bullshit. You can rot in here for all I care." She pushed herself up, turning on her heels towards the door.

"What's Wash gonna say when you can't even think anymore? With you little love affair going now, its going go be hard on him." Monty leaned forward in his chair. He ran his eyes over her, trying to spark a reaction. Her temper was a powder keg and he held the lit match.

She stopped cold in her tracks. "How did you know about that..."

"Word spreads fast around here Liv. I heard you two sucked face in the med bay from a nosey little A.I. named Theta."

"You leave him out of this!" She snapped.

"It's about damn time he got a piece of the action. I've been told the sex is amazing from a couple of friends. You kept crying for him to come and save you but he never did."

Ice ran through her veins. Her stomach twisted at the images that flashed into her head, forcing her to re live a nightmare.

"I'm pretty sure they made you scream louder than he ever could."

Olivia whipped back around, eyes glaring daggers. "You son of a bitch!" She hissed. "You fucking worked for them this whole time!"

"We have a winner! You're not as dumb as you look Liv." Monty laughed.

She reached over the table, her fingers tightly gripping his throat, hard enough to leave bruises behind. "Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't break you fucking neck right now."

"You don't have the balls to do it Liv."


End file.
